Nvidia to release a premium tablet powered by Tegra 5 SoC, working on 2nd-gen Surface

Word on the street says Nvidia is developing one or maybe even two tablets that will be released early next year. At least one of the slates is rumored to be a high-end unit powered by the company’s own Tegra 5 SoC codenamed Logan.

Update: Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has confirmed they are working together with Microsoft to develop second-generation Surface tablets. Microsoft has declined to comment, but we now know they are coming for sure.

Nvidia’s Tegra 5 is said to the first mobile chip based on the company’s Kepler architecture. This is the same architecture that powers Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 600 and 700-series graphics cards for desktops. A version of Kepler, albeit much less powerful than a desktop card, could certainly boost mobile graphics performance to levels we have yet to see.

A self-branded tablet would certainly be a change of pace for Nvidia as they have relied on partners like Asus and Microsoft to build devices around their Tegra processors thus far. It’s not entirely out of the question, however, as evident by Nvidia’s recent experiment with the Shield portable gaming console.

In a related bit of news, another site believes Nvidia may be preparing to release a 7-inch tablet sooner than next year. Tabtech.de points to a results listing from a graphics benchmarking website for a device labeled the Nvidia Tegra Note Premium. It’s said to use a 1,280 x 800 resolution display powered by a Tegra 4 processor, all running Android 4.2.2.

Rumors aside, it’s a bit surprising that Nvidia hasn’t released any branded hardware to date. It’s already a crowded market but the company likely has the talent and resources to produce a solid product.